A Pilot Study of Relationships between Pitch Register and Dynamic Level and Vibrato Rate and Width in Professional Violinists

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to investigate whether dynamic level and pitch register influence vibrato width and rate of four professional violin soloists. Data were obtained from recordings of Bell, Midori, Mutter, and Perlman. Analysis of data indicated that both dynamic level and pitch register influenced the vibrato width of the performers, whereas vibrato rate was influenced by dynamic level but not pitch register. Artists’ vibrato was wider in the upper register than in the lower register. Mean width of the soloists’ vibrato was 63 cents (slightly more than one-quarter tone) and mean vibrato rate was 6.63 Hz. Discussion includes implications for string pedagogy and suggestions for additional research.